My late father, Dr. Clarence E. Stowers Sr., would always tell me, “Son, find a story and tell it well.” I didn’t quite understand then, but I do today! To steal one of the ancient slogans in advertising, “your brand is the truth about you, well told.” This year many resolved to make lasting changes and become the best version of themselves. I call it Version 2.0 – The me God wants me to be. In order to upgrade to Version 2.0, I encourage you to spend time pondering the following questions:
So Who Are You?
Like every organization, every person has a dozen good stories that reveal that person. Stories move people. Stories excite people. Stories change people. Your task is to write your story – the true story. Ask for input from someone who knows you well; someone who can give you perspective. Start there. Get help, if necessary, but do it TODAY!
What Do You Do?
Most banks (Pre-Mortgage Crisis Meltdown) almost always ask this question of organizations that come to them for money. It’s a simple question, but the answers often are not. You must answer simply, too. Otherwise you will confuse people. If it sounds like you do many things, or too many seemingly unrelated things, people will assume you cannot do any of them well. Here’s an assignment: Ask and answer “What do you do?” Show it to four people whose opinion you value and ask them:
- Is it clear?
- Is it simple?
What Difference You Are Making?
Can you describe what difference you are making in three sentences or less? Are you ready for this challenge? Marketers often refer to the necessity of defining one’s “point of difference.” You must not merely answer what makes you different, but how what you do makes a difference for others. Ask and answer “What difference am I making?” Show it to four people whose opinion you value and demand they be ruthlessly tough with their answers.
There are other questions, too; I doubt this list is exhaustive. But I think I have covered the major ones.
Question: What other life-changing questions do you currently ask?
Thanks for this challenge. I look forward to answering these questions, and I value your opinion…
Other life-changing questions do I currently ask? I often ask, "Why?" Why do I do what I do? Some times I have good, strong answers. Other times I have no answers at all. And every now and then, I have answers that reveal that I shouldn't be doing what I'm doing.
Que. P.
Thanks for your kind words & I'm humbled you value my opinion. I've committed to share my life experiences with others so they can glean from my failures, successes, & experiences. You asked, "Why?" Why do I do what I do…" Well, Jeremiah 17:9 gives us a clue as to why. The heart has the ability to deceive us and we become emotionally involved in the decisions we make. The heart tells the brain to find & justify a reason to do what we do. I just preached about asking ourselves this question when faced with a decision: "What's the real reason behind why I'm doing this?" We are great at selling ourselves on bad decisions brought on by the heart.
I have always been one to follow my logic as opposed to following my heart. The 2 very rarely line up and it just always made sense to me that I should do what's logical. But for a brief moment in time, I questioned my whole heart-logic frame of mind and began to wonder, "What would life be like if I started following me heart? What have I been missing out on?" Then you taught me that "if you let it, your heart will direct you down a path that leads to the very spot you most want to avoid” (Jeremiah 17:9). And I looked back on all the logical decisions that I made even though I didn't wanna make those decisions…and I looked back on the places I visited from following my heart…my my my.
Wow, thanks for sharing & it goes to show that Scripture is true. Nothing liberates like the "APPLIED" Word of God! You should share your experiences about the wisdom of the head vs. the heart. In doing so, others will be empowered!